


Baking AU

by IAmAwesomeMe



Category: Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: F/M, First Kiss, Mistaken Identity, apartment-mate AU, baking au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:42:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25334092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IAmAwesomeMe/pseuds/IAmAwesomeMe
Summary: So Gilbert is in love with the person in the apartment below him who loves to bake and he always smells her baking. He also meets Anne, someone else who lives in his building, and starts to fall in love with her too.
Relationships: Gilbert Blythe/Anne Shirley
Comments: 7
Kudos: 155





	Baking AU

Every time Gilbert opened his window his mouth watered. This may seem like an odd pavlovian response to anyone else, but it’s one that’s been developing for the last three months, ever since he got a new downstairs neighbour. He had no idea who they were, had never seen them, had never meet them but knew one thing about them: they loved to bake. Cakes, pies, cookies, muffins, anything at all. And whenever they baked something they would put it on their windowsill, right under Gilbert’s open window.

Now, Gilbert wasn’t home that often. He was a recent graduate of Dalhousie medical school, currently interning at the Charlottetown hospital, so he kept odd hours, but more often than not found himself either waking up to some sweet smells or going to bed to them. They invaded his dreams and consumed his days with their pleasant aromas.

He found himself his downstairs baker often. Once, he was grabbing a bite at the hospital cafeteria with his fellow intern and best friend Bash. He inspected the chocolate cookies with macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips that were described as “baked fresh today.” He had smelled some from his downstairs neighbour a week ago. He had gotten in the habit of going out onto the fire escape whenever he smelled something new, just to see what it is. They had been baking a lot more cookies lately, having baked more bread last month.

“Theirs’s were better,” he said under his breath,

Bash rolled his eyes. “You didn’t even taste theirs, how do you know.”

“Smell is 90% of taste. Even if they were horrible on the inside they would have been so beautifully fragrant it wouldn’t have mattered.” Gilbert selected a fruit cup as his dessert and went to go pay for his meal.

“You don’t even know who this person is,” Bash went on. “Have you ever tried to actually talk to them?”

“What am I supposed to do, exactly,” Gilbert asked. “Hello, I live above you and I’m obsessed with your baking?” He had actually thought about this many times, mare than he would like to admit.

“That’s a start.”

“No, it sounds too creepy. Like I’ve been stalking them, which I haven’t been. No, I can’t,” Gilbert concluded.

“So your happy just smelling their baking without ever eating any yourself?”

“I have to be,” he explained. “Look, if I see them at an apartment complex event, then I will complement them on their baking and call it a day but I won’t seek them out.”

“Fine, suit yourself.”

* * *

Gilbert was going out, reviewing his shopping lists while he exited the elevator. His mind kept wandering over to this young patient he had, who’s been in a bad car accident and was currently in her 18th hour of surgery. He had admitted her to the ER and it had been bleak.

He kept his head down, lost in thought as he exited the elevator and promptly collided into a basket of laundry which in turn promptly exploded over the floor, Gilbert, and the red head who was carrying the laundry basket. Both Gilbert and the girl were knocked down onto the ground.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” the red headed girl said as she began picking up the laundry and putting it back in the basket along with a bag or quarters to operate the machines that were just down the hall on the first floor.

“That’s alright,” he said. “Here, let me help,” as he began putting some more of the clean laundry in the laundry basket.

“My mind seemed to be off somewhere else,” she said. “Marilla said tying down my mind was like trying to catch the wind.”

“Marilla?” Gilbert asked.

“My mom,” the red head explained as she put the last shirt in the laundry basket.

“I see,” Gilbert said as they both stood, and the young lady got into the elevator. Gilbert got a better look at her here. She was around his age, with a black tank top and leaf green peasant skirt. She had a matching think headband holing back a mess of red hair that went down to her waist. Most entrancing, though, was the bright smile she wore on her freckled face. It tugged at the pit of his stomach, making him feel warm and happy. He was so caught up in her smile, he didn’t notice that his hand was empty. He quickly looked down at the floor but couldn’t see what he was looking for. As the elevator doors began to close he came to the only logical conclusion and leaped into the elevator.

“Um, hello again,” the red head said.

“I think my grocery list is in your laundry basket,” Gilbert explained.

The girl nodded, putting the laundry basket down. “We should probably find it.”

Gilbert got down beside her. It was a fairly small elevator so they were pretty close together, but Gilbert focused on the task at hand. He realised that this was the second time he’s gone through this young lady’s laundry without even knowing her name.

“Here, found it,” she said, giving him the small piece of paper as the elevator opened on the fourth floor.

“Thanks,” he said, accepting the paper and watched as she collected the laundry basket and went to leave the elevator.

“Later neighbour,” she said.

“Later neighbour,” he responded as the doors closed. He pressed the button for the forst floor and went on to do his shopping, this time with a small smile on his lips.

* * *

This went on for another month or so. Then, something good happened. Well, not good, actually pretty bad, but also unexpected and it gave Gilbert a golden opportunity.

He had just come home after a 20-hour shift and he was beat. It was a hot summer day, and he had the AC on, so he couldn’t keep the window open all the time like he could in the spring, but most days he could still open the window for a minute or two when he comes home, just to see if there’s anything new. The fifth floor window was high enough to let in a soft breeze from the nearby ocean, so he kept it open and stayed there a moment. It was refreshing, even if there was no sweet smell to it. He closed his eyes, relaxing.

A loud wail jerked him out of his pleasant rest. The fire alarm.

WHEE-WHOO. WHEE-WHOO. WHEE-WHOO.

He sat up, took his wallet and keys from the nearby end table, then went out the open window onto the fire escape. It was probably a false alarm but he wasn’t doing anything so might as well leave the building. He went down the first level of the ladder/stairs thing, then stopped. He looked into the window, past the window sill he had seen so many times laden with baked goods.

He looked inside the apartment. It had light green walls, painted by the apartment’s inhabitants, with yellow trim. The colours went together, giving the apartment a whimsical, almost fairy-like aesthetic. There was a single coat by the door, so whoever lived there did so alone. The kitchen was visible, as was the living area. They seemed neat, yet lived in. There were books scattered around the apartment with titles Gilbert couldn’t make out, but the owner of the apartment was clearly an avid reader as well as baker. He could also see a blue dress hanging in the corner, apparently the owner of the apartment was a girl. The thought brought a smile to his lips for some reason. It looked to be set out there for a party, or a date. That made him frown, for some reason. He smiled, then heard other people coming down the fire escape and remembered why he was on the fire escape in the first place.

He made his way down to the ground along with everyone else who was in the apartment at 2:00 pm on a Wednesday. They weren’t allowed inside the building again until the firefighters cleared it so while the 20 of them or so gathered around the parking lot, waiting for the firefighters to arrive. He found himself talking a lot with a freelance painter named Cole who lived on the 7th floor and loved sneaking onto the roof to paint the ships in the harbour. While talking he realised that he knew absolutely in this building that he has lived in for a couple years. He decided to ask him about some of the other tenants as the firemen arrived and got to work.

“Hey, do you know a girl who lives in this building?” he asked. “Red hair, freckles, huge smile. Insanely pretty too.”

“Anne,” he said.

“Anne,” Gilbert turned the name over in his mind.

“Yeah, I know her,” Cole added. “Were actually pretty good friends. She works at the Charlottetown Gazette as a reporter. Right now, she’s on the arts and culture beat, but she really wants to move up and become an investigative reporter.”

“Anne,” he smiled again.

“I’m lucky she was in arts and culture, though, because she was able to review my show at the art gallery,” Cole continued. “She’s really nice too. Always doing things for other people. Always finding new ways to help people. She was raised in a pretty old-fashioned household, so she has a really good work ethic.”

“Old-fashioned?”

“Yeah. Like, she was raised to sew all her own clothes,” Cole explained.

“Really?” Gilbert was surprised. “I guess that explains the skirt and headband matching so perfectly.”

“The green skirt?” Cole wondered, putting two and two together. “Long, three layers?”

“Yeah, why?” Gilbert asked.

“You’re elevator guy, aren’t you?” Cole concluded.

“Elevator guy? Is that’s what you’ve been calling me?” Gilbert asked.

“Well, she didn’t catch your name and you didn’t catch hers so when she asked about you, you were just elevator guy.”

Gilbert smiled. Apparently, she had been asking after me the way He had been asking after her. Thinking about him the way he was thinking about her. Then another thought occurred to him. “So, do you like know everyone in the building?”

“Almost,” Cole says.

“And like where everyone lives too.”

“Yep.”

Gilbert was about to ask who was in the building directly below her, finding his mystery baker, but before he could they were interrupted. “OK everyone! Back in the building!” the firefighter came out of the apartment and ushered them back in. Someone asked what happened, and he told them it must have been pulled as a prank.

Gilbert kind of wanted to go back up the fire escape and catch another glimpse of his baker’s apartment so he used the excuse of the elevator being full to go to the side of the building and begin climbing. He stopped by her apartment again, this time taking a closer look. He was certain it was a girl’s apartment now.

There were two paintings on the wall. One was of a white house with green trim on it. The other was of a tree in fall and a young girl jumping into the air to catch the leaves. They weren’t really big, about the size of a sheet of paper, and were painted on thin piece of wood, not canvas, but they were in a prized place on her walls so they were clearly very important to her. There was a glass jar of muffins she had made the previous weekend was sitting on a counter.

He looked at the furniture. There was an end table in the living area, glass top on top of a metal framework that looked like it belonged in a café in Paris. There was a couch that was white and had the backing and armrest only on one side. It was called something special, wasn’t it? A chaise longue, maybe? He didn’t really know. There was a rocking chair too, with a bag of knitting needles and yarn at it’s side. Those three items wouldn’t necessarily work well together, but she was able to make it work. There was wood coffee table and some books scattered on top of it. Gilbert squinted and was able to read some of the titles. Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Jane Eyre, Little Women, Wuthering Heights. She clearly knew what she liked and stuck to it. There was a greater selection on her bookshelf, but these were clearly her favourites.

He stayed there a moment, but then the early June heat got to him and he had to go back to his air-conditioned apartment upstairs.

* * *

“Anne,” Bash said, after Gilbert had finished recounting the previous day’s events.

“Anne,” Gilbert said wistfully. They were talking while they were taking a break to watch one of their fellow inters do their first appendectomy. This was why Gilbert choose Charlottetown Hospital over the other ones. In the bigger hospitals an intern wasn’t likely to get into the surgery suite until residency. In a smaller one they let you in during your first year if you showed enough promise. The bigger ones gave you prestige, the smaller ones gave you experience. He choose experience.

“So you like her,” Bash said.

“Obviously,” Gilbert said.

“Not like her like that,” Bash explained.

Gilbert straightened his spine. “I don’t even know her.”

“But you like her.”

“I don’t know. Maybe.” Gilbert paused for a moment. “Probably.” Another moment. “Ok, yes.”

“What about the mystery baker? Anything new there?”

“Hasn’t baked anything new.”

“Not what I mean.”

“Well what do you mean, exactly?”

“Have you talked to her?” Bash said pointedly.

“No,” Gilbert returned pointedly.

“And you like her too.”

“No I don’t,” Gilbert protested, a little too much.

“Yes, you do,” Bash said confidently. “You can’t explain it but you like her. You want to date her and kiss her and move into that weird apartment with her.”

“The only thing I want,” Gilbert said (a little more loudly than he intended), “is to eat her muffin.”

“I hope that’s a not a euphemism for something,” came a voice from behind them. They turned and saw the new nurse, Mary, standing in the door.

“It isn’t,” Gilbert assured her.

“My friend Gilbert here is done over on a girl,” Bash informed Mary. “He has never seen her, doesn’t know her name, but is utterly infatuated. The only thing he knows about her is that his apartment is directly above hers and he can smell her baking and loves her.”

“So the muffin…” Mary turned to Gilbert

“Lemon poppy seed with a light, sugary glaze. They smelled delicious.” Gilbert remembered it fondly.

“Well you aren’t asking for my advice, but I’ll give it anyway.” Mary took a seat with them, next to Gilbert. “If you like a girl, go for it. The worst she can say is no.”

Gilbert felt uncomfortable. “I don’t know.”

“Well what’s stopping you, exactly? Your single, might as well see if she is too.”

“Well, single though Gilbert may be his heart isn’t entirely belonging to the young baker,” Bash explained. He then summarised Gilbert’s brief encounter with Anne.

“So you have not one but two crushes on women you know nothing about,” Mary concluded

“I don’t know nothing,” Gilbert protested. “I know that one is a baker and the other makes her own clothes. One reads and the other writes.”

“And you won’t talk to either of them because it means betraying what you could have with the other one,” Bash explained.

“Quite the conundrum,” Mary said.

“Quite the pickle,” Bash agreed, smiling at Mary.

“Well now you are just making fun of me,” Gilbert complained.

“Me? Never!” Bash said, exaggerating his sarcasm and making Mary chuckle.

“I’m leaving,” Gilbert said, getting up.

“See you later,” Bash said, sliding over to take his seat and be closer to Mary. Gilbert noticed that he was smiling a lot more than usual. He smiled too, realising that maybe he’s not the only one with a potential romantic entanglement on the horizon.

* * *

A week later, Gilbert was waiting outside his building. It was a nice night, with a cool breeze and a mostly full moon.

“Please don’t tell me you smoke,” a voice from behind him said.

He turned around and saw Anne, exiting the building. “I lost my dad to young cancer at when I was 16. Kinda turned me off the practice.”

“Oh,” Anne said softly, walking out to meet him at the curb. “Did he smoke?”

“Never a day in his life, but his dad had 2 packs of day,” Gilbert explained, then sensed the uncomfortable energy that took over the conversation. “And you don’t have to get weird about it. It happened a while ago and I’ve processed it all.”

“I’m just glad you brought up the dead dad first so I can feel more comfortable telling you that both of my parents are dead.”

“Oh,” Gilbert turned to her. He was surprised. “When?”

“When I was 6 months old. Car crash. I survived by a miracle.”

“And Marilla?” Gilbert remembered from the conversation before.

“Foster mom,” Anne explained. “Ish. She was a distant cousin who took me in because my mom spent summers down there and Marilla was fond of her.”

“Well, I’m glad you brought up the whole two dead parents thing so I feel more comfortable telling you about how my mom died giving birth to me.” 

Anne raised her eyebrows at that. “Team orphan?”

“Team orphan,” he confirmed with a smile.

“Well, I hate for this to turn into some sort of a tragedy competition,” she started, jokingly.

“It kind of already is but continue,” he joked along with her.

“I did also lose my foster father two years ago,” she admitted.

“Triple dead parent?” Gilbert asked.

“Triple dead parent.” Anne confirmed.

“Wow,” Gilbert took a moment to process that.

“Again, you don’t have to be weird about it,” Anne said. “I miss him every day, but I’ve accepted that he’s not here anymore. I still have some of his paintings and it’s a way of keeping the memory of him alive but that’s all I need. Honest.” They waited for a moment, enjoying each other’s company. There's something about the shared life experience that had brought them closer together. “So if you aren’t out here smoking, what are you doing?”

“I’m waiting for my friend to pick me up. We’re going to his not-yet-girlfriend’s birthday party,” Gilbert explained.

“Not-yet-girlfriend?” Anne asked inquisitively.

“He’s asked her if she’s interested, she said yes, they kissed, then arranged their first date but they haven’t been on it yet so they are not officially dating and he hasn’t asked her if he’s her actual boyfriend so they are sort of in this in between area where they aren’t dating but they aren’t single either.”

“That’s a nice stage to be in,” Anne said nostalgically.

A very cold feeling suddenly overcame Gilbert. “Oh, you have a boyfriend?” He tried to do his best to sound as non-chalant as possible but knew he must failing. His only hope was that she was too distracted to notice.

“Ex,” she said, as Gilbert breathed a sigh of relief. “Roy. It didn’t end well. What about you? Anyone in your life?”

“No one at the moment,” Gilbert said, slightly guilty as he thought of the baking girl. They fell into a comfortable silence again.

“Oh, I know your name now,” Anne said eventually, restarting the conversation.

“I know yours too,” Gilbert responded.

“Well it’s nice to meet you, Gilbert,” Anne said, extending her hand.

“The pleasure is all mine, Anne,” Gilbert returned, shaking it. She smiled, and he returned it. “That’s a nice name, by the way.”

“Oh, I hate it,” she said. “Too old, too plain, too basic.”

“Please, I wish I had a basic name. Imagine being named Gilbert, it’s just too weird.”

“I love Gilbert,” she said, looking up at her.

He looked over to her, probably misinterpreting what she meant. “You do?”

She smiled softly. “It’s just weird enough to be unique.”

He smiled back at her. “Well, Anne is just old enough to be classic.”

She stared into his eyes, the soft smile being replaced by something else. Gilbert looked down, noticed the curve of her lips, the way they seemed to invite him closer. He wanted to step closer, but before he could a car pulled up.

“Hey there Gilbert,” Bash said, then saw what was happening. “Do you two need a moment?”

“Uh, no,” Anne said. “Have fun at your party. Good luck with your girlfriend,” she directed at Bash before going to leave.

“Wait, what were you doing out here?” Gilbert asked, realising he had never bothered to ask her.

“Grocery shopping,” she said, going and walking down the street.

“Then why stop and talk to me?” he asked, having to yell at her.

“Because I wanted to!” she yelled back.

She wanted to talk to me, Gilbert thought. He smiled, such a wide smile that it didn’t leave his face even as he got into the car and Bash gave him a knowing look and proceeded to interrogate him. He didn’t care. Anne had said she wanted to talk to him, nothing else matters.

-

They were sitting around Gilbert’s dining room, the three of them. Mary and Bash had been officially dating for around 6 weeks now. Anne had run into Gilbert a few more times, none for more than 10 minutes. The mystery baker had taken a break from muffins from the mid-June to late-July to take advantage of the fresh fruit that was growing on the island. She had made jam, so much jam. By his count there was strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, and blackberry, each with an average of 4 dozen jars. Gilbert had no idea how she had the time. They were now stacked up in the corner of her apartment, and he didn’t know what she was planning on doing with it all.

Bash and Mary had come over for dinner and a movie and a chance to see Anne or smell some new baked goods from downstairs. Neither had happened. Now they were halfway through a game of Catan. Gilbert was winning, with 6 victory points, but Bash and Mary had decided to form an alliance and take him down.

“That isn’t fair,” he said, joking. “You guys are a couple you don’t also get to be a team.”

“Well maybe if you made a move you would have a teammate of your own,” Bash teased. Gilbert rolled his eyes as he took a sip of his drink.

“About that,” Mary said, hesitantly.

Gilbert’s smile faded. “What about it?”

“I’m not sure you should do that. Talk to her, I mean.”

“Who?” Bash asked. “Anne or the baker.”

“Either,” Mary said. “I know it’s not what you want to hear but you should. You clearly like these girls, both of them, and more than just friends. But neither of these ladies have ever reciprocated those feelings. It is totally possible that these romances are all in your head and if you actually made a move they would turn you down.”

“But earlier you said-” Gilbert tried to object.

“I said the worst thing she could say is no, which is still true. I just want you to make sure you are prepared for that possibility.”

Gilbert leaned back in his chair, considering what Mary said.

“I want you her to say yes, I really do,” Mary tried to assure him. “I just don’t want you to get your heart broken if that doesn’t happen.”

-

That night Gilbert sat alone in bed, staring at the ceiling while he considered Mary’s words. It was totally possible that whoever he asked could turn him down. Therefore, to minimize his chance of heartbreak he should ask Anne. He had never seen this baker girl, what exactly would lead her to accept him. The initial infatuation could be gotten over, probably. With time, for sure. He set his mind on Anne, telling himself that the next time he saw her he would ask for her number.

And yet, when he closed his eye, he only thought of his mystery baker girl. He thought of her and her whimsical apartment. He thought of her lying on the couch, as he made her tea. Of them watching a movie in his apartment with some cookies she had made for the occasion. Of her in that blue dress he saw meeting up with Bash and Mary on a double date. He felt the breeze come in from the ocean, and yearned for it to have a sweet smell that would tell him his crush was still there.

Something did float in from below his apartment, but it wasn’t a smell, it was a sound. The bedroom directly below him had turned on the radio. It was a pleasant song, something soft and sleepy and alternative. The song was only halfway through and Gilbert listened as it wound its way to its conclusion. The next song started and Gilbert recognised it, vaguely. It was another alternative song, apparently that was her music taste, and it was about a couple who had been together for years but never married. Every day for them was their anniversary, and every day was special because they had each other. The first verse ended and as the chorus started up Gilbert noticed something underneath the song that wasn’t there before. Another voice, just a bit below the main one, harmonizing softly. The girl! She was singing!

Gilbert sat up in bead, straining to pick up on the girl’s voice. It was lovely, soft but strong too. He laid back in bed and closed his eyes, allowing the sound to wash over him, song after song, lulling him to sleep.

Before he fell asleep he realised three new things. 1) He had just heard his beloved’s voice for the first time. 2) She was his beloved, since he felt love for her in his heart. 3) He knew that there was no getting over her. He loved her and would forever. That was the one thought he held onto as he fell into a deep sleep.

-

Gilbert became preoccupied. He wanted to go down and introduce himself to her but didn’t know how. He didn’t want to just ask her to be friends, he wanted to be honest with her about his intentions. He didn’t want to ask her to date him immediately because then she would say no. He didn’t want to arrange to bump into her at a random place and pretend to meet her by accident, that would be lying. And he didn’t want to come clean about all the times he had thought about her and obsessed over her, that would seem creepy. In fact, he had started creeping out himself.

It had been a week since he realised he loved her, and it had not been easy. It was made harder by the fact that right now she was four feet below him, baking up a storm. She had made cakes already, and cookies, and biscuits. And the cookies were his favourite ones. Chocolate batter with macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips. Now, she was icing the cake. The entire time she had been listening to the radio and singing along. He looked down at his own dinner, a half empty bowl of instant ramen that didn’t look much appetizing after the first bite. He took another one.

He decided he needed a walk. He left the apartment complex and took a right. He went around the block once, then again. On his third time around he noticed that Anne, Cole and Diana (whom he had met previously) were coming out of the building.

“Hey neighbor,” he said, approaching them.

“Hey neighbor,” Anne returned. She was holding a few boxes and was walking over to Cole’s car. She was wearing a grey skirt and white tank top. She also had a full face of makeup with green eyeshadow that went really well with the green of her eye.

“Where are you headed?” he asked the trio.

“Our friend Kakwet’s birthday party,” Diana said.

“I think you forgot to wrap the present,” Gilbert said, motioning to cardboard box Anne was carrying.

“This present isn’t the wrapping kind,” Anne explained.

“Our talented friend here baked her a cake,” Cole said, motioning to Anne.

The wheels began turning in Gilbert’s head. “Three boxes for one cake?”

“No, this one is the cake,” Anne motioned to the biggest box.

“Don’t judge us for bringing biscuits to a birthday party,” Diana joked as they arrived at the car.

“Biscuits?” Gilbert asked, unsure if he wanted it to be a coincidence or not.

“In our defence, they are going to taste amazing,” Cole responded, opening the backdoor to his car so Anne could put in the boxes.

“In our defence, everything Anne bakes tastes amazing,” Diana responded.

“You’re a baker?” Gilbert asked Anne, a knot forming in the pit of his stomach.

“Marilla taught me,” Anne told him, coming out of the car having organized the boxes so someone could sit back there.

“Old fashioned, what did I say?” Cole said, getting into the drivers seat.

“She so old fashioned, she even makes her own jam,” Diana went on. “Shotgun!” she exclaimed, getting into the passengers side.

“Jam?” Gilbert could feel his hands starting to shake.

“Matthew, Marilla, and I used to do it every year,” Anne explained to Gilbert, leaning against the car. “Then we used to give them out to everyone around town as gifts. I was… meaning to send you one but I didn’t know where your apartment was.”

“I think I might know where yours is,” he said under his breath.

“Sorry I can’t give you anything right now.” A thought occurred to her. “Actually, that’s not true.” She ducked into the car, opening one of the boxes and pulled something out. “Here.” She pressed a cookie into his hand. He looked down. Chocolate batter. Macadamia nuts. White chocolate chips. “Enjoy,” Anne said, going back into the car with a wink.

And just like that, the car left to go to the party leaving Gilbert behind in shock. He stood there, on the edge of the curb, the cookie still warm in his hand. He stayed there, his heart racing yet his mind completely clear. He stayed there, having the calmest freak out, for a long time, until a jogger passed by him. It startled his body into action, though his mind was still miles behind, trying to make sense of what just happened.

Anne. That was all he could think. Anne gave me a cookie. A cookie she made. A cookie she made. And it smelled delicious. Like the ones the mysterious downstairs bakers made. The exact ones the mysterious downstairs baker made. Cookie, he thought. No. Phone first. He has to tell someone. He has to tell Bash. Phone back at apartment. Go back to apartment.

He ran back into the building. He pushed the elevator button but it was on the 6th floor and was coming to slowly. He sprinted to the right, taking the stairs three at a time. He passed the fourth floor, and remembered that she got off on the fourth floor the first time they meet. He lived on the fifth, he was such an idiot. He should have figured it out months before.

He raced up the next flight of stairs, then down the hallway, taking out his keyes and bursting through the door. The bowl of ramen was still on the table, well and truly forgotten. His phone was beside it. Bash picked up after the third ring.

“Gil, I’m in the middle of my shift,” he said.

“Is Mary with you?” Gilbert asked.

“No, but she’s just down the hall at the nurse’s station,” Bash said. I can get her if you want.”

“Yeah. Get her than put me on speakerphone,” Gilbert instructed.

“With all the other nurses around? You sure that’s wise?”

“Oh, they’ll want to hear this.” Gilbert began pacing over his apartment with excitement and nervousness. “Get everyone.”

There was a moment’s pause as Bash got on this. “Ok, everyone’s here,” he said finally.

Gilbert took a deep breath. “Ok. This is about Anne,” he started. There was murmuring from the other end as all the nurses knew who she was talking about. “And the mystery baker.” Some more chatter on the other end.

“Did you meet her?” Mary asked.

“Yes,” Gilbert said. He could hear gasps on the other end. “Guys… the mystery baker… _is_ Anne.”

“What!” Bash shouted. “What? What!” It was all he could say.

“How do you know,” Mary asked, slightly more eloquently.

He quickly told them about meeting Anne outside, about how Cole and Diana said she was an avid baker. “I mean, it’s too much to be a coincidence. Baking the exact same thing as the girl downstairs, like the exact same thing, and then also living on the floor below me. It has to be her,” Gilbert concluded sitting down in a chair with a sigh.

“Well that’s great,” Bash said, finally able to speak again. “Turns out you only have one crush, not two.”

“What are you going to do,” asked Mary, ever the realist.

“I don’t know,” Gilbert said. “I want to do something, I have to do something, but I don’t know what.”

“Have you already eaten the cookie yet?” Bash asked.

Gilbert looked over to where he had set it down on the table while getting his phone. “Not yet,” he answered.

“Any chance of you saving a portion for me and Mary to try tomorrow?”

“Bash!” Mary exclaimed.

“What, you’re not a little bit curious what it tastes like?” Bash returned.

“It’s his cookie,” Marry reminded.

“And he might consider sharing it, that’s all I’m saying.”

Gilbert could feel Mary rolling her eyes though the phone. “Whatever. Gilbert, what are you going to do?”

“I think I might have an idea,” Gilbert said.

“Ok, but remember to brace yourself in case this doesn’t go your way.”

“Thanks Mary,” Gilbert said. “And Bash, I’ll make sure to save you some.”

“Thanks Gil,” Bash said.

“Good luck,” Mary wished him.

“See you guys tomorrow.” He up his phone and went to the kitchen to get a zip lock bag and glass of milk. He carefully broke off a piece of the cookie, about a third, and stored it in the bag before turning his attention to the remaining dessert.

He still tasted his ramen dinner in his mouth, so it took a drink of milk to clear his palette. He took a deep breath and raised the cookie to his lips. But he paused. What if it wasn’t as good as he had made it out to be in his mind. What if he had hyped it up too much. Maybe he shouldn’t try it. Maybe he doesn’t want this question answered. Then he smelled the cookie. It was sweet, chocolaty, and beautiful. Without another thought, he took a bite.

The flavours flooded his brain with serotonin. The dough was moist and soft and melted in his mouth. The chocolate chips complemented it nicely, adding smoothness and richness. The Macadamia nuts were crunchy and added a nice texture. He sighed, leaning back in his chair. The cookie was better than he could ever imagine. He took another bite, then a third. It was just so good. He took a drink of milk, then some more bites. Soon the cookie was finished.

He took a deep breath, thinking over his next step. Then grabbed the case files he was supposed to review and went onto the fire escape.

-

Anne, Cole and Diana arrived back at the apartment complex around 1 in the morning. They were laughing and joking amongst themselves. Gilbert stood up on the fire escape to get a better look at them. Anne noticed him up there and smiled up at him, making his insides melt. Then they went in, leaving Gilbert alone in the cool night. He waited a moment, then went in as well. He grabbed his keys, and left the apartment. He decided to take the stairs, going down one floor. He then went over to the apartment directly below his own. Anne’s apartment.

He knocked.

Anne answered the door, still in her party clothes. She smiled when she saw Gilbert standing there. “Hey neighbour.”

“Hey neighbour,” Gilbert responded, smiling as well.

“HEY NEIGHBOUR!” came a shout was within. Gilbert looked inside and saw Cole and Diana hanging out in the living room. There was half a bottle of wine between them.

“Hey, guys,” Gilbert waved at them. He was kinda disappointed that they were there, also that they said the thing he and Anne said to each other. It was always their thing.

“Is it true you’re a doctor?” Diana called from within.

“Yeah, but I’m only an intern right now,” Gilbert explained.

“What.. What’s the difference?” Cole asked

“Mainly amount of experience,” Gilbert responded, then quickly turned back to Anne before getting any more distracted. “Anne, I was hoping to talk to you alone.”

“The hallway is so boring, how about on the roof,” Anne suggested. “It’s lovely out there tonight.”

And romantic, Gilbert agreed in his mind. “Sure.”

Anne lead him through the apartment then out onto the fire escape and up onto the roof. When they arrived, she looked up at sky with reverence. There were some chairs and a table on the roof, and a light hanged from the doorway that lead to the stair. Gilbert wiped his sweaty hands on his pants. He was nervous, but swallowed hard and forged ahead. “Anne,” he said.

She turned around in what seemed like slow motion to him. “Yeah, Gilbert?”

Hearing his name like that seat shivers down his spine. “I want to talk to you because I have something I want to confess.” Anne straighten her back, not sure how suspicious she should be. “I like you. A lot in fact.” He let that rest there while Anne tried to process what he’d said.

“Oh,” was all Anne could think to say.

“I know that that might seem weird to say since I don’t really know you all that well but here’s the thing. I think I do know you. In all the ways that matter, at least. And I can’t help it. I like you. I like you since before I even met you.”

Anne raised an eyebrow at that. “How so?”

“Well, it’s actually a funny story,” Gilbert smiled. “I live in the apartment directly above yours and every time you bake I can smell it.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry about that,” Anne said, immediately assuming it was something she did wrong.

“No, it’s not like that,” Gilbert said. “You are a really good baker, a great one in fact. And the scent of your baking, it could put me in a good mood for the rest of the day. And it was the perfect thing to come home to at the end of a long day at work. I loved it.” Then he caught what he had said. “The baking, that is,” he said, chickening out.

Anne took this in. “Well, thank you for that.”

“Right, so I kinda developed a crush on the mystery baking girl from the floor below me. Now, I wasn’t going to say anything. Because that would be creepy. Besides, I had meet this other girl, ran into her actually, while she was doing laundry. I liked talking to her. A lot. I thought she was kind and fun and couldn’t stop thinking about her either.” Gilbert had kept his head down for most of the time he was talking but looked up know. Anne was looking at her feet, but Gilbert could see a small smile and it gave him some confidence. “I had two crushes. And I had no idea what to do or who to talk to or how to go about talking to them and then I learned that the second crush was an avid baker.” He smiled at that and Anne smiled too. “And that she was, in fact, the first crush as well.”

“Funny how life sometimes turns out like that,” Anne commented, turning to look at the moon.

“Yeah, funny.” Gilbert tried to read her facial expression, to see what she thought about everything he’d said but she was facing away.

“You mentioned you had no idea what you were going to do,” Anne recalled. “Do you know now?”

“Yes.” Gilbert walked over to Anne and stood in front of her, looking her directly in the eye. “Anne, I like you. A lot. More than I would like to admit at the moment, and that’s saying something since I’ve admitted to a lot. I know that you might not feel the same way, in fact you probably don’t, but nonetheless I am asking for a chance. One date, to give me a chance and I promise I will do my best to prove that I would be a good boyfriend, if given the chance.”

“Is that what you want?” Anne asked. “To be my boyfriend.”

“That’s all I want,” Gilbert answered. He let that sit there. It had originally been something to say because it sounded romantic, but know he realised just how much he meant it. But he knew that Anne might not feel the same way so he decided to conclude this conversation by letting her know that he respected whatever decision she came to. “But I know that that’s you might not want that so I will let you be, let you process all that, and tomorrow I will come return. If you want to go on a date, we can discuss the time and date and if don’t I promise that I will let you be. No hard feelings.” Gilbert nodded at Anne, then turned and left. He had gotten all the way to the fire escape before she said something that made her stop.

“Yes.”

His blood ran cold and he looked around. She stood there in the moonlight, looking at him with a look that made Gilbert feel like maybe he wasn’t alone in his feelings.

“What?” He asked her to repeat it.

“Yes.”

“Yes, you’ll go on a date with me?” He began walking back to her.

“Yes, I want you to be my boyfriend.” Anne smiled with all her heart.

Gilbert smiled with all his being. He couldn’t breathe, he was so happy. The only thing he could do was stand there. Anne wasn’t so sedentary, she ran to Gilbert and kissed him with all her heart. Gilbert held her, his hands on the small of her back. She used her’s to cup his face, pulling him in close. Neither of them pulled away for a very long while, because neither of them wanted to because both had been thinking about this for months. When they did pull away, all Gilbert could say was “Wait, really?”

Anne laughed. “Yes, really.”

“You like me?” Gilbert still couldn’t believe it.

“Yes,” Anne repeated. “For your personality and everything.”

Gilbert couldn’t believe it. He was so happy he picked Anne up and twirled her around. Then kissed her again. And she laughed as he spun her around. And kissed him back harder than before. They stayed there for a while, and even as they broke off their kissing get some air they stayed wrapped up in each other’s arms.

Gilbert kissed the top of her head, still not fully believing what had just happened. His mind knew that there were other things he had to attend to, but he was so comfortable right there he didn’t much care.

Eventually, after what was both an eternity and not nearly long enough, Anne pulled away. “I should probably go back downstairs,” she said, “before they come looking for me.” She took two steps back, towards the fire escape, but held onto Gilbert’s hand.

Gilbert squeezed her hand, still smiling. “Can I call you tomorrow? To arrange our date?”

“Do you have my number?” Anne asked.

“No,” Gilbert realised. “I also don’t have pen or paper to take it down.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll get you my number,” Anne told him, then pulled him in for one last kiss. “Talk to you tomorrow,” she promised, turning away.

“Yeah, for sure,” he answered.

“Bye neighbour,” she said, getting on the fire escape.

“Bye neighbour,” he returned as she disappeared below.

Then he was alone on the roof. A soft breeze rolled off the ocean. It felt nice and cool against his skin. He realised that his cheeks were burning. He should go back down, back to bed. It must be 3 in the morning by now, or something close to it. But he knew that there was way too much adrenaline being pumped through his veins to contemplate sleeping. Nonetheless, he went down the fire escape to his apartment, thinking maybe a cup of warm milk or tea might help. When he got to his apartment, he found a handwritten note taped to his window. It was Anne’s number, and below it she wrote “Hope to see you soon. xoxo.” Gilbert smiled and took the note inside. He put it into his phone which was still on the table. It was then that the exhaustion hit him. He had been running on empty for the past few hours, ever since Anne’s accidental identity reveal had drained the life from him. He went into his bed room and passed out on his bed with a smile.

His dreams were filled with thoughts of Anne.


End file.
